The present invention relates, in general, to a workholder for an automatic die bonder and, more particularly, to an environmentally sealed and monitored workholder for an automatic die bonder.
Currently, there are several workholders in the industry. One such workholder is the one provided with the FOTON 8030A originally produced by FOTON, Inc. In the die bonding process, a semiconductor die is typically bonded to a substrate. This substrate may be the die flag of a leadframe, a heatsink, or other element. The bonding is typically accomplished by placing a bonding agent, such as an epoxy or solder, onto the substrate. The die is then disposed on the bonding agent to secure it to the substrate.
A problem that has developed in this processing sequence is that of moisture entering the system. This can prevent the bonding agent from adhering to the substrate by allowing the substrate to oxidize. An additional problem is that of the moisture allowing the bonding pads of the die to oxidize. This will prevent later lead bonding processes from functioning properly.
In normal die bonding operation, the detection of moisture as a problem can be made only after a problem develops. This means that during a processing run, the oxidation on the devices becomes progressively worse until it is evident to an operator because of an obvious defect in the part. At that point the machine is required to be shut down and inspected to see where the leak occurred and rectify the situation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a workholder that overcomes the above deficiencies.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a workholder which is monitored to detect moisture in the system.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a workholder that is environmentally isolated during processing.
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention are provided by the workholder described herein.